


Sandburg's My Partner

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: After Blair finishes at the Academy, union rules say he has to work in Patrol before he can join Major Crime
Relationships: Jim Ellison & Blair Sandburg
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	Sandburg's My Partner

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'beat'.
> 
> This is actually the third time a SenTh prompt has inspired me to write a 'Union insists that Blair spends time on patrol before joining MC as a detective' story... The others are Union Interference (posted 11/17) and Six Months on Patrol (posted 3/18).

Sandburg's My Partner

by Bluewolf

There were nearly four months between Blair's declaration of fraud and the next Academy intake. Jim had been slightly apprehensive about it, wondering how Blair would be received; Blair himself had been totally blase about it, maintaining that nobody would remember the press conference. To mollify Jim, he agreed to apply as B. Jacob Sandburg, using 'Mom insisted on calling me Blair, but it's really a girl's name!' as an excuse; but he was right. Nobody attached the name Sandburg to the press conference of four months earlier.

The one problem that did arise was the union's insistence that Blair spend the first three months of his employment by Cascade PD on patrol. Even his years as an unpaid observer who was actually doing police work for much of the time, didn't count; the Union representative maintained that even someone with twenty years of Detective experience, coming to Cascade from anywhere, would have to do three months with patrol before being assigned to one of the detective units.

Jim was far from happy when Simon gave him the news. Blair was _his_ partner, dammit! Partnered mostly with Joel, he had managed while Blair was at the Academy, because Blair had commuted during his Academy days, spending his nights at home. So after thinking about it for all of two minutes, he said,

"Simon - could I be seconded to patrol for three months, on the grounds that Sandburg is my partner?"

He knew instantly, from the grin on Simon's face, that the request had been expected.

"You don't mind going back to pounding a beat for three months?" Simon asked.

"Better than trusting Sandburg's safely to a complete stranger for those three months." Jim knew how dangerous life could be for patrol officers.

Simon's grin broadened. He reached for the internal phone. "Rhonda, contact Captain Brewster and tell him that I do need to call in that favor, and would he please come straight up so that we can discuss it."

Jim looked at Simon questioningly, and Simon's grin broadened even more. "I spoke to Brewster last night, after Greg Willoughby let me know the union was insisting on Blair's working with Patrol for three months."

"But why? Why should he have to?" Jim asked.

"We have our regulations!" Simon's voice took on a solemn note.

Jim sighed. "Aimed at maintaining the union's importance."

Simon nodded. "I'll grant you unions can be needed, and they can do some good work; but sometimes it's just about flexing their muscles."

"Like now."

"Like now."

There was a brisk knock on the door, which then opened without anyone waiting to be invited to enter.

Simon turned his grin towards the door. "Hello, Tom. I don't think you know Detective Ellison?"

"Simon." Brewster turned to Jim. "I don't think we've ever met officially."

"No," Jim agreed. "When I worked Patrol, it was under Captain Tomlinson."

"But you want to work Patrol again for three months."

"As long as I'm partnered with Sandburg. He's been my partner in Major Crime for four years, and... well... "

Brewster nodded. "Simon explained the situation to me, and I understand where you're at. Sandburg's your partner and you don't want to risk his safety to anyone else."

"Yes," Jim said. He took a deep breath. "But there's a little more to it than that."

"A little matter of a claim of fraudulent details in a dissertation?"

"Yes. It wasn't even the dissertation he was almost ready to submit. It was written purely to satisfy his own... well, need. And to some extent, mine. But when the Berkshire editor publicized it all... "

Brewster said quietly, "Simon explained it all to me, including how Berkshire got hold of it, and swore me to secrecy. How many people do know?"

"Not many," Jim replied. "We had to let the Commissioner and Chief of Police know, so that Sandburg's ride-along could be extended. Four of the MC detectives worked it out. Simon, of course. Now you. Outside the department, my father, and possibly my brother and my father's housekeeper."

"All right. Nobody else in Patrol needs to know. All they need to be told is that Ellison has decided to take a three-month downgrade because Sandburg is his partner. Has been until Sandburg went to the Academy and will be again once he does his three months on Patrol and passes the Detective's exam. You're in no doubt that he will?"

Jim grinned. "He'll pass it. I don't think it's possible for him to get anything less than maybe A-... and that's only because in any essay-type question whoever is grading it might disagree a little on what's the best way to word something. With multiple choice he'll ace it."

"If you do have a problem, come to me - but I think everyone in the unit will respect your willingness to take the temporary downgrade because you're partners."

***

Brewster was right.

Jim already knew several of the patrol officers - some because of the time he had spent on Patrol after finishing his training, others because of meeting them when he investigated a case. Blair knew some because of meeting them when he was with Jim on a case, and of course there were four rookies who had been at the Academy with him, and who greeted him cheerfully. He later admitted to Jim that he had helped one of them, who had had a little difficulty understanding something, by explaining it in simpler language than the instructor had used.

All of them did indeed respect Jim's willingness to partner Blair in Patrol.

And halfway through their time in Patrol, Jim realized that he was, in fact, thoroughly enjoying himself. He liked working as a detective and would be glad to get back to Major Crime - but there was a strange satisfaction in dealing with idiots like drivers who were speeding purely because they wanted to drive as fast their cars were capable of going; a definite satisfaction in arresting a drunk driver; and there was no word to describe the satisfaction he felt when they caught a pedophile about to rape a child.

Yes. If he had ever needed a reminder about the value of the work Patrol did, these three months were giving him that reminder.

And when the three months was up, Patrol threw Jim and Blair a party that went down in Cascade PD's history as the biggest and best any department had ever thrown.


End file.
